Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo driver Mat Jackson has taken his first BTCC race win of the season after seeing off an early effort from pole-sitter Ollie Jackson and a late challenge from Ash Sutton.

The AmD Audi of Ollie Jackson made a good getaway from P1 and defended valiantly from the striking yellow Ford Focus in the opening exchanges. The Audi S3 driver then dealt well with a brief safety car period, which was called following contact further down the order on the first lap, but a dream win would unfortunately fail to materialise.

Mat Jackson slipped his Motorbase-run machine down the inside of the Audi at Sunny and contact sent Ollie Jackson's car onto the grass. The latter recovered to rejoin in tenth, but it had seemingly left Mat Jackson clear to take a commanding victory.

Nobody told race one winner Sutton, however, as he scrambled past Subaru team-mate Jason Plato at the final hairpin on lap seven to claim third. He then got a run on the Handy Motorsport Toyota of Rob Austin one lap later and completed a phenomenal move around the outside at turn one.

He immediately began reeling in Jackson's Ford and the pair were locked together on the final lap. Sutton eyed his opportunity as they went side-by-side into the final hairpin but the experienced Jackson squeezed his younger rival on the exit and went on to claim a memorable win.

The drama wasn't over, however, as both Austin and Plato locked horns across the line. When the timing screen updated it was Plato who had taken the final podium position by just 0.041s.

Matt Neal drove a brilliant race from 18th on the grid to take fifth, albeit as part of another exciting scrap with team-mate Gordon Shedden and the three BMWs of Colin Turkington, Andrew Jordan and Rob Collard.

Early leader Ollie Jackson took a hard earned tenth – his second impressive top ten finish of the day.

Mat Jackson said: "That was a massive win for the team, it’s just great. The car’s been quick all weekend and I’m very pleased with that – it’s another one for Luke (Davenport). I could see Rob Austin was there. I said I was just going to manage the tyres and we just managed to hold on when Ash (Sutton) made his charge. He came up quickly, went for the move around the outside and the road runs out there so yeah. If you’re a racing driver, that’s what you do – you’re there to win."

Ash Sutton said: "I nearly got him. I thought he’d wait for the switchback so I thought I’d try something different. He put an end to it on the exit there but it was fair enough. We had a blinding start and picked three off on the first lap. The safety car gave us some breathing space in terms of looking after the tyres and as soon as the lights went green it was a case of crack on. I had to be a little bit more stationary, shall we say, when I came up to Jason (Plato), just waiting for him to make his move, but I needed to crack on and make the most of things. I did and it’s phenomenal to have two Subarus on the podium."

Jason Plato said: "It’s good to be here. We’re not out of the woods yet. We’ve still got some work to do to see what’s what with my car, though. Race one was my mistake and it could have been a different day if not for that. We’ve had three consistent runs with the car and that’s something. If overtaking whilst you’re off the track is fine, then yes Ash’s move was okay. It wasn’t a legitimate overtake I didn’t think, the cheeky monkey! Rob (Austin) drives really well and he knows how to place a car. I couldn’t drive past him in a straight line like Ash did but on the last lap he was just a bit twitchy. I thought maybe I could beat him to the line with better traction and a better exit."

David Bartum, Motorbase Performance team boss, said: "It’s been a bit of a drought but Mat (Jackson) and Martin (Depper) have worked really well today. Our thoughts are with Luke (Davenport), but we’ve got to get on with what we’ve got to do. We had three Indy wins and one outright. We miss him and we dedicated that to him. It’s a great day for the team on-track and we’ll go and find Luke and show him everything we’ve done today when we can. He’s a cracking lad and he’s a fighter. He’ll be back and we’ll see him here soon enough."

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 15 – Croft

1 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo 16 laps
2 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.877s
3 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +16.032s
4 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +16.073s
5 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +16.517s
6 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +16.779s
7 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +17.575s
8 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +19.360s
9 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +21.336s
10 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +21.800s
11 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +24.265s
12 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +22.487s
13 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +23.397s
14 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +25.645s
15 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +29.078s
16 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +29.747s
17 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +30.252s
18 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +35.417s
19 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +37.121s
20 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +37.899s
21 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +40.379s
22 Dennis STRANDBERG (SWE) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +40.975s
23 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1 lap
24 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1m10.708s
25 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +15 laps
26 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +15 laps
27 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +15 laps
28 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +15 laps
29 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +15 laps

The race for victory in the second Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship contest at Croft was a role reversal of the opening bout as Team BMW's Colin Turkington this time fended off Subaru star Ash Sutton to claim the honours.

Turkington's BMW 125i M Sport made a good getaway and he was side-by-side for the first part of the lap with pole-sitter Sutton. By the time the duo had emerged from the chicane it was Turkington into the lead with Sutton and Rob Collard behind.

The trio immediately pulled away from the chasing pack before enjoying a nip and tuck battle for the rest of the race. Sutton's Levorg seemed to attack and defend in equal measure with the BMW and Subaru machines seemingly evenly matched. 

Despite consistent jostling the positions would remain the same until the finish, meaning a quartet of records would be shattered by 'King of Croft' Turkington and his West Surrey Racing team. 

That result makes it 50 wins for BMW with WSR, 75 overall for WSR in the BTCC, a record 12 for Turkington at Croft and a record 17 for WSR at Croft.

Reigning champion Gordon Shedden experienced another steady race to claim fourth, ahead of another BMW versus Subaru battle. In a similar scrap to the podium positions it was Jordan holding off Plato until the finish.

Mat Jackson was unable to maintain his race one pace in the Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo Ford Focus, but he still claimed a credible seventh place, whilst his team-mate Martin Depper scored his first points of the season with tenth.

In-between the two Fords were the Handy Motorsport Toyota of Rob Austin and AmD Audi of Ollie Jackson, with the former further rewarded with a reverse grid pole. It was a season-best result for Ollie, as it was for his AmDTuning.com team-mate Ant Whorton-Eales in 11th - a BTCC career high for the young Clio Cup champion.

Colin Turkington said: "It’s great to get another milestone for BMW. Wins aren’t easy to come by so to notch up 50 between WSR and BMW is a huge achievement. I had to work hard for it and the race was won off the start. He got a cracking launch and I was under pressure for the whole race. No wins are easy to come by but this was a particularly tough one. We went up to the chicane side by side and as we discussed through the drivers’ briefing there’s no way that can happen without someone heading for the grass, so I had to take avoiding action. I could see Rob (Collard) in third and I was hoping he’d have more pace to pressure Ash (Sutton) early in the race. My heart rate was already at 180, trying to defend early on so the hard work was done."

Ash Sutton said: "The start was key in race one. We bogged down a little bit but we lost out in turn one and I was straight back onto the attack. Another podium though, so what more could I want? The last couple of laps it was like someone flicked a switch and I felt like I had a puncture or something. We know that wasn’t the case though, so we’ll work on the setup to solve those problems.

Rob Collard said: "To get another podium at Croft and a fifth of the year is fantastic. I wanted to be second or to go after the win but it was hard up against the Subaru – a real cat and mouse game. It’s nice to bring the BMW home on the podium. There were a few times I attacked but Ash (Sutton) didn’t make any mistakes. We couldn’t show our pace at the very end there which is a shame, but bring on race three."

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 14 – Croft

1 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW 15 laps
2 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +2.445s
3 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +2.890s
4 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +14.954s
5 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +17.864s
6 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +18.029s
7 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +21.310s
8 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +22.523s
9 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +23.920s
10 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +24.265s
11 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +31.860s
12 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +32.554s
13 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +33.990s
14 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +34.220s
15 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +34.241s
16 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +35.987s
17 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +43.802s
18 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +44.032s
19 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +44.367s
20 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +45.046s
21 Dennis STRANDBERG (SWE) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +45.553s
22 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +48.899s
23 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1m12.163s
24 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1 lap
25 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +4 laps
26 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +9 laps
27 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +11 laps
28 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +14 laps
29 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +15 laps

Ashley Sutton held off two-time champion and 'King of Croft' Colin Turkington to win the opening Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship race at the North Yorkshire circuit.

Sutton and Turkington held the top two positions throughout the contest and were rarely separated by more than a few tenths. Team BMW's Turkington tried several times to nip by but young Subaru star Sutton defended valiantly to claim his second win of the season.

"I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect a win from that," enthused Sutton. "My focus was to get away cleanly and we did. It was my best start to date – we needed it and it paid off. We hadn’t the grip level that Colin (Turkington) had on the softer tyre but we were strong in the key areas to maintain the gap for the whole race.

"We’re having a fantastic weekend so far. We’ve bounced back from having a car that didn’t look in the best shape after qualifying yesterday to this – full credit to the team. Croft’s been phenomenal for me the past few years. We’ll keep on at it."

"The pace in the BMW was good for that race but just not enough for me to feel confident enough to attack, and I was maybe strong in the wrong places," responded Turkington. "I was wary that it was race one of three on the day and reflecting on Oulton, I gave myself a tough day after not finishing race one. I was trying to force a mistake out of Sutton but overall I have to be happy with the result.

"We didn’t get the car in the sweet spot in the wet but we definitely have found it in the dry. I’m feeling confident for the rest of the day. It should get interesting – there’s not too much weight to add to my car and we’re in good shape."

The final podium position went to Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo's Mat Jackson, ending the popular team's barren run of 2017. It was also an important Independents' win for Jackson and the Kent-based squad.

"It’s a great result," said Jackson. "This is a podium for Luke Davenport. First and foremost, we need to get him back but for the team it’s great. We’ve put in a lot of hard work from Oulton to here and we’ve got a platform to build on. The rear-wheel drive cars looked to be in a class of their own from five laps on and to be in the mix with them, with them so suited to Croft is fantastic. We’ve found a lot in the car and hopefully we can keep it going."

Despite Sutton's victory it wasn't a complete success for Adrian Flux Subaru Racing, as incidents arguably prevented all four of its cars from taking top six positions. Jason Plato slid wide at Sunny on the opening lap, although he later recovered to claim tenth, whilst contact between Josh Price and James Cole ended one of their best ever performances in the BTCC.

Other contenders lost out early on, most notably Halfords Yuasa Racing's Matt Neal as his Civic Type R suffered rear-left damage following contact with Price's Subaru. Reigning champion Gordon Shedden provided some joy for the Honda marque as he claimed fifth with maximum-ballast, although he was pipped at the post by the rampant BMW of Rob Collard.

The third BMW of Andrew Jordan claimed a relatively lonely sixth place, whilst Josh Cook starred on his MG return with seventh.

The two Toms, Ingram and Chilton, were locked in battle for much of the 15-laps with the former getting his championship challenge back on-track with eighth.

There was further late drama for the final place in the top ten as Plato nudged his Levorg down the inside of Ollie Jackson's AmD Audi at the final hairpin. The BTCC legend got a great run and pipped the S3 Saloon across the line, although Jackson still impressed with a number of his own eye-catching moves earlier in the race.

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 13 – Croft

1 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing 15 laps
2 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.671s
3 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +8.653s
4 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +11.307s
5 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +11.858s
6 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +12.984s
7 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +18.764s
8 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +19.585s
9 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +19.995s
10 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +35.408s
11 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +35.738s
12 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +44.563s
13 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +45.961s
14 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +46.256s
15 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +46.425s
16 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +47.589s
17 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +49.776s
18 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +50.297s
19 Dennis STRANDBERG (SWE) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +51.460s
20 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +51.694s
21 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +53.783s
22 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +54.217s
23 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +56.736s
24 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +2 laps
25 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +4 laps
26 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +5 laps
27 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +5 laps
28 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +10 laps
29 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +13 laps

Following the multi-car accident during qualifying for Round 13 of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Croft, three drivers were taken to James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough for further treatment.

We can confirm that;

Aron Taylor-Smith (#40 MG Racing RCIB Insurance) suffered a fracture to his left leg and concussion. He was closely monitored in hospital and was released late last night.

Luke Davenport (#300 Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo) is currently in intensive care in an induced coma, and is in a serious but stable condition, with multiple chest injuries, lung damage, broken right leg, broken pelvis, broken right arm and concussion.

Jeff Smith (#55 Eurotech Racing) is in a serious but stable condition, with multiple chest injuries, extensive shoulder injuries and concussion.

All of the above injuries, whilst very serious, are not immediately life threatening.

We would like to thank the BTCC Medical Team, marshals, Croft Circuit staff, Air Ambulance crews and all staff at James Cook Hospital.

Everyone within the BTCC sends their best wishes to all three drivers for a speedy and full recovery.

Cars 40 (Aron Taylor-Smith), 55 (Jeff Smith) and 300 (Luke Davenport) have been withdrawn from the event and will take no further part in the weekend. Click here for the full grid for Round 13.

Adrian Flux Subaru Racing's Ashley Sutton secured pole position for Round 13 of the 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship after a dramatic qualifying session at Croft.

Sutton topped both Free Practice sessions earlier in the day at the North Yorkshire venue and the 23-year-old did it again in the all-important qualifying session.

The running was cut short after just nine minutes, however, when a multi-car accident brought about a red flag stoppage.

The Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo Ford Focus of Luke Davenport had seemingly dropped oil on the track after running on to the grass, which immediately led to a number of cars spinning off on the greasy surface. Heavy contact was made between several cars, most notably involving Davenport, Jeff Smith's Honda and Aron Taylor-Smith's MG. Others were able to scramble back to the pitlane with damaged machines but the aforementioned drivers required immediate medical attention.

After a lengthy stoppage all three drivers were safely extricated from their cars by the BTCC Medical Team and subsequently transferred to hospital.

Due to the extensive damage suffered to cars and barriers, however, officials decided that the session would not be restarted, meaning that qualifying positions would be set by the lap times already completed.

This left Team BMW's Colin Turkington in second with Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo's Mat Jackson in third – the latter getting his highest placed grid position of the season so far.

Reigning champion and standings leader Gordon Shedden was fourth ahead of the MGs of Josh Cook and Taylor-Smith. Due to the session stopping accident, however, Taylor-Smith, Davenport and Smith have subsequently been removed from the classified grid positions.

BTCC legends Jason Plato and Matt Neal were next on the timesheets, whilst Josh Price and James Cole ensured that all four Subaru Levorgs will start tomorrow's opening race inside the top ten.

All three BTCC races will take place on Sunday with the action being screened live and exclusively on ITV4 from 11:30.

Ashley Sutton said: "Yes, we’re on pole but my thoughts go straight to those involved in the accident. I was one of the first into the accident and had to witness everyone else being collected. I think Andrew Jordan was the first to the scene and myself and Colin Turkington were second and third and we got away with it. The boys will be working all night on our car to get it ready for tomorrow but it’s all about those who were caught up in it. Hopefully everyone can get back out on track but it’s all about them and thoughts go out to them."

Colin Turkington said: "That’s the fastest part of the circuit into Barcroft and it was very hard to see the oil on the track in the wet. You become a passenger. I got away with it just about and I’m pleased to be starting second. I got my lap in early and had a bit of fortune as well to get through unscathed. I just got through and no more – I don’t know how much was judgement and how much was luck. You’re keen to get something in the bank because the forecast was saying it could stop raining, when it would then become greasy and slow so you get a lap in. It’s one of those things. My strike rate here is really strong and it’s one of my best tracks so I’ll give it my best tomorrow and try and score highly."

Mat Jackson said: "The first thing is making sure everyone’s okay and it’s never nice to see that. It's never good whenever you get fluid down on track, and you can’t see it in the wet. It’s greasy through Barcroft anyway in the wet and if you’re off you’re a passenger. Hopefully everyone is okay. Third is great. We found a lot of time in the car. The pace we’ve shown is true pace and I think that we can carry that through tomorrow. From that side we’re happy but obviously we’ve got a lot of damage in the team and we hope that Luke (Davenport) is okay."

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Qualifying – Croft

1 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing 1m33.182s (82.09 mph)
2 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.561s
3 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +0.604s
4 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.626s
5 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.722s
6 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.807s
7 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.829s
8 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.895s
9 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.904s
10 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.002s
11 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1.063s
12 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +1.111s
13 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +1.135s
14 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +1.197s
15 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +1.215s
16 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +1.688s
17 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +1.693s
18 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +1.771s
19 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +1.916s
20 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +1.928s
21 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +1.999s
22 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +2.152s
23 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +2.332s
24 Dennis STRANDBERG (SWE) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +2.507s
25 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +2.693s
26 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +2.796s
27 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +4.499s
28 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing NO TIME
29 Luke DAVENPORT (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo NO TIME
30 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing NO TIME
31 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing NO TIME
32 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing NO TIME

Adrian Flux Subaru Racing star Ashley Sutton has topped both BTCC free practice sessions at Croft as the young talent mastered the wet and wild conditions in North Yorkshire.

Sutton claimed the first Subaru win of the season at Oulton Park last time out and the Japanese marque is at the sharp end of the field once more. The 23-year-old was the shining light of a difficult start to the campaign for the Team BMR-run Levorgs and he has since fired himself into championship contention.

That challenge could be firmly established this weekend if Sutton’s practice pace is anything to go by, as he backed up his FP1 showing with another headline performance in the second session.

A 1:32.254s lap time was the quickest of the 40-minutes of running, and Sutton was the only driver to come close to topping his own benchmark.

A quartet of champions and a popular race winner followed Sutton in the order with Gordon Shedden, Matt Neal, Jack Goff, Jason Plato and Andrew Jordan signalling their intentions for a high-flying weekend.

The Honda Civic Type Rs of Shedden and Neal have shown front-running pace at every venue on the calendar so far, and the Japanese hatchback is again carrying its significant success ballast with minimum fuss. Goff made it three Hondas in-a-row in the independently run Eurotech Racing car.

Plato is enjoying his most competitive Saturday of the season so far, whilst Pirtek-backed Jordan was the quickest BMW on-track. The Bavarian marque historically runs extremely well at Croft, but some of its advantage seems to have been eroded with the arrival of inclement weather.

Aron Taylor-Smith pipped his new MG team-mate Josh Cook to claim seventh with the MG6 having one of its best showings of 2017, whilst Chris Smiley and Mat Jackson will be content with top ten times.

Jackson's Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo team-mate Luke Davenport wasn't so fortunate, however, after contact with the fellow Ford of Stephen Jelley fired the former off track. A puncture and damaged suspension forced Davenport out of contention.

There were a number of other minor spins in the session, including those for Matt Neal and Matt Simpson, whilst the Speedworks Toyota of Tom Ingram failed to make it out after the earlier fire.

All teams are confident of quick repairs, however, with the full 32-car field expected to flash back into action for the all-important qualifying session at 16:00, which can be seen live and exclusively online via www.itv.com/btcc. 

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – FP2 – Croft

1 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing 1m32.254s (82.92 mph)
2 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.461s
3 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.699s
4 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.735s
5 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.792s
6 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +0.928s
7 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.982s
8 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1.049s
9 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +1.067s
10 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +1.133s
11 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +1.154s
12 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +1.295s
13 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +1.330s
14 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +1.668s
15 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +1.679s
16 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1.711s
17 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +1.743s
18 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +1.800s
19 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.805s
20 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +1.833s
21 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +1.900s
22 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +1.937s
23 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +2.137s
24 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +2.248s
25 Dennis STRANDBERG (SWE) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +2.270s
26 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +2.293s
27 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +2.325s
28 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +2.334s
29 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +2.651s
30 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +2.923s
31 Luke DAVENPORT (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +3.381s
32 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport NO TIME

Young gun Dennis Strandberg secured the vacant Maximum Motorsport drive ahead of the Croft race weekend, and the official BTCC website caught up with the Swedish star as he prepares to make his debut in Britain's biggest and best championship:

Ashley Sutton made the best of challenging conditions at Croft by topping the opening Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship free practice session at the North Yorkshire venue.

Heavy rain fell before, during and after the scheduled 40-minutes of running, which was eventually cut short by a few moments when a fire broke out in Tom Ingram's Toyota.

Sutton's Subaru set the pace early on and with the track surface getting wetter and wetter it seemed like that initial lap time would remain the benchmark until the finish. As it happened, it was Sutton himself who bettered the effort late on with another stellar lap on the Dunlop BluResponse wet tyres.

"I always drive it on the absolute limit when required," said Sutton. "We're not here to mess around, and to drive the car to the absolute maximum with opposite lock on is what it's all about.

"I get in my comfort zone after living on the edge a bit to begin with. When I get to that limit and get uncomfortable in the car then I calm down a bit and find that level. Sometimes the mistakes tend to come when you drive under that maximum, within yourself.

As mentioned, it was a tough session for championship contender Ingram. The former standings leader set a time good enough for tenth, but a late off led to a fire in his Toyota. His Speedworks Motorsport squad are now working tirelessly to try and ready his Avensis in time for FP2.

Ingram wasn't the only driver in the wars with a number of cars spinning off in the challenging conditions. Most, however, were able to recover without damage and will be ready for the next session at 12:00.

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – FP1 – Croft

1 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing 1m31.657s (83.46 mph)
2 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +0.429s
3 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.444s
4 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +0.620s
5 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.688s
6 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.718s
7 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.911s
8 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.948s
9 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.167s
10 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +1.185s
11 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +1.277s
12 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1.290s
13 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +1.313s
14 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +1.319s
15 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +1.343s
16 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +1.391s
17 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +1.408s
18 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +1.463s
19 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.563s
20 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1.621s
21 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +1.636s
22 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +1.668s
23 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +1.936s
24 Dennis STRANDBERG (SWE) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +2.037s
25 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +2.048s
26 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +2.053s
27 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +2.151s
28 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +2.163s
29 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +2.468s
30 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +2.505s
31 Luke DAVENPORT (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +2.516s
32 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +2.520s

BTC Norlin Racing's Chris Smiley and Dave Newsham are looking to get things back on track this weekend after a minor blip in form back at Oulton Park last month.

The team has been a consistent points-finisher this campaign, currently standing seventh in the Independents' chart, and Newsham sealed the outfit's best result so far at Donington Park with fourth. As it was, he narrowly missed out on a podium place – a three-car final corner tussle denying the fledgling squad maiden silverware. All concerned are striving to recapture that high.

Croft Circuit is known as a technical challenge, one relished by BTCC drivers up and down the grid, and is up there amongst the toughest of tests offered up by the championship's 10-race calendar of events. Newsham believes Norlin can bag a result.

“It’s a top venue to race at and it's an exciting prospect for a driver," said Newsham. "I know that if we drive as well as we did in the season’s opening handful or rounds, we can be right up there in the mix. We've shown flashes and we're looking to get back to scoring good points.”

That Donington promise leads Newsham to believe the team have a solid base to build from in the hunt for a top-ten spot in the Teams' running, as he looks to build on seventh in the Independent Drivers' championship.

“There is no reason why we shouldn’t be hunting for podiums and certainly strong results from the reversed-grid races over the latter part of the season. The pace is there in the car, as we saw back in Leicestershire. We'll be working hard to unlock it.”

Putting aside what was a disappointing Oulton Park three weeks ago, Smiley is looking to continue progress in the Independent Drivers' standings – the Northern Irishman currently harbours 15th place.

Despite that Oulton low, Smiley remains upbeat, given good progress made through the field up to 20th spot come the final round in Cheshire, after race one technical issues left him moored to the rear of the grid for race two.

“I’m really looking forward to taking on Croft, its always a challenge," said Smiley. "I’m a personal fan – it was the first ever circuit I secured a pole position at, so I’m hoping it’s as kind to me again.

"Things could have gone better at Oulton. We had a fuel pressure issue with the car and we had to work away from the back of the grid but we did make good progress.

“Teams will be looking to build up a little haul of points ahead of the mid-season break, so it's important Dave (Newsham) and I score as best we can."

Team Owner, Stephen Symington, added: “We are continuing to learn and develop the cars at each round, and we're hopeful that Croft can provide us with a few more opportunities to show what we can do.”